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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1806954
Review Article

Effect of Physical Exercise on Sleep Quality and Depressive Symptoms in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

José Ricardo Vieira de Almeida 
1   Department of Physical Education, Physical Education School, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
2   Cardiology Emergency Center of Pernambuco (PROCAPE), Universidade de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
,
Gleydson Vieira da Silva Barros 
1   Department of Physical Education, Physical Education School, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
,
Vitor José Monteiro Borges da Silva Valente 
2   Cardiology Emergency Center of Pernambuco (PROCAPE), Universidade de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
3   Department of Physical Education, Physical Education Course, Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Recife, PE, Brazil
,
Welyson Lima Santana
2   Cardiology Emergency Center of Pernambuco (PROCAPE), Universidade de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
3   Department of Physical Education, Physical Education Course, Faculdade Pernambucana de Saúde, Recife, PE, Brazil
,
Elton Carlos Felinto dos Santos 
2   Cardiology Emergency Center of Pernambuco (PROCAPE), Universidade de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
,
José Lucas Porto Aguiar 
1   Department of Physical Education, Physical Education School, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
2   Cardiology Emergency Center of Pernambuco (PROCAPE), Universidade de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
,
Breno Quintella Farah 
4   Department of Physical Education, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
,
Ozeas de Lima Lins Filho 
1   Department of Physical Education, Physical Education School, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
› Author Affiliations Funding Source The authors declare that they did not receive funding from agencies in the public, private, or non-profit sectors to conduct the present study.
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Abstract

Improvements in sleep quality and depressive symptoms are considered a cornerstone of adult health. Physical exercise is one of the interventions used to treat people with sleep disorders and improve mental health. However, there is no standardization regarding the physical exercise protocols and their effects on sleep quality and depressive symptoms in adults. The present study aims to verify, through a systematic review and meta-analysis, the effect of physical exercise on sleep quality and symptoms of depression in adults. This study adhered to the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement and was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). The PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus databases were used to identify relevant original articles and clinical trials. Analysis was performed with Review Manager (RevMan) software (The Cochrane Collaboration, London, United Kingdom), version 5.4. The study included men and women over 18-years-old, with physical exercise as the intervention. The studies included pre- and postevaluation of sleep quality and depressive symptoms. A total of 931 articles were found, of which 15 met the eligibility criteria, encompassing 940 participants. Physical exercise significantly improved sleep quality (mean difference: -1.19; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: −1.66 to −0.73) and depressive symptoms (mean difference: −3.51; 95%CI: −4.66 to −2.36). Aerobic exercise was the most common and effective for both outcomes. Thus, physical exercise was effective in improving sleep quality and depressive symptoms in adults. Additional studies, however, should be performed to confirm these findings.

Keywords

depression - major depression - exercise - physical exercise - sleep quality - sleep

Supplementary Material



Publication History

Received: 19 September 2024

Accepted: 17 February 2025

Article published online:
07 April 2025

© 2025. Brazilian Sleep Academy. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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